Can You Handle This Ride?

It's not easy to ride 550 miles in 2 weeks, but it's not that hard, either...

For Bike Kenya 2012, I'm looking for all kinds of participants--cyclists as well as supporters, those who can pedal and help raise funds as well as friends who will support behind the scene with critical logistics.

Wondering if you can handle the biking?  Can you pedal 550 miles through Kenya within 2 weeks?

 

This is an important consideration.  We plan to ride at least 45 miles and possibly up to 75 miles per day.  That can mean up to 6 hours in the saddle day upon day.  That's really not hard to do IF you train for it.  This is not a race or a high-speed event.  You don't have to consider yourself an athlete, but you DO need to be healthy and prepared for the rigors of the road.  Those who decide to join the cycling team will have a spring 2012 training discipline that will be required to prepare all for the ride in Kenya.

 

 My experience of cycling 2000 miles through India in 2007 and 650 miles in Vietnam earlier this year tells me that an average pace of 14-16 miles per hour can be expected.  Faster going downhill; slower uphill.  We'll likely take a brief rest and check-in break every 12-15 miles.

A few logistics...

We will have a support vehicle traveling with us.  It will carry luggage and supplies and our host team.  We'll eat at roadside and local eateries.  We'll carry our own bottled water, Gatorade and lots of fruit and energy snacks.

 

We'll likely spend overnights in low-cost lodging, some in churches or schools, some possibly in hospitality houses or retreat centers.  Nothing fancy.  I took a lightweight sleeping bag for the biking excursions in India and Vietnam.

So, we're just beginning. There's lots to learn, lots to figure out, lots to share.  

 

Join in the journey--one way or another.  This time next year, may the adventure have changed us and may a fully paid-for secondary school facility be under construction because of Bike Kenya 2012.